JEAN CINCINNATUS MOUTON-DUVERNET (1797-1872) TESTAMENT OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE 1826. IN FRENCH.
Lot 72
Sold
Paris, Chez Fanjat, Libraire, et chez les Marchands de Nouveautés, 1826.
Testament of Napoleon, J.C. Mouton-Duvernet, legatee of Napoleon, and son of the lieutenant-general condemned and put to death in Lyon, in 1815, to the Comte de Montholon and General Bertrand, his co-legatees.
In-8, (2) 37p. Paperback, printed cover
22 x 14 cm
Condition: corned edges, small tears, foxing, stains, without affecting the text.
In mid-April 1821, feeling his strength ebbing away, Napoleon set about writing his will. Locked in with General Count Charles-Tristan de Montholon, a close exile companion, he dictated his last wishes to him. On the 15th, he copied out the will itself and two codicils so that the document was entirely in his handwriting, as French law recommends in the absence of a notary, according to the Civil Code promulgated in 1804.
Between the inventories of his property and the lists of beneficiaries, he completed the drafting on 25 April 1821. The complete testimonial set consists of the will as such, nine codicils, instructions for the executors, and finally two letters to his bankers. In 1860, Napoleon’s succession was declared closed. Emperor Napoleon III, the nephew of Napoleon I, deposited the documents in the Archives of the Empire.